DialysisReports.org

Dialysis Reports, State and Region Profiles, and the Quality Incentive Program.

The Dialysis Facility Reports (DFRs), Quarterly Dialysis Facility Compare (QDFC) reports, and State and Region Profiles are created under contract to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide dialysis facilities, patients, state surveyors, and regions with valuable information on patient characteristics, treatment patterns, hospitalization, mortality, and transplantation patterns in their facilities.

The Quarterly Dialysis Facility Compare (QDFC) Reports provide Networks and Facilities with advance notice of new and updated quality measures for their facility prior to being displayed on Dialysis Facility Compare. These measures are updated quarterly in January, April, July, and October of each year. Please click here for the 2013 QDFC report timeline.

The end-stage renal disease (ESRD) Quality Incentive Program (QIP) is the first Medicare program that links provider or facility payments to performance, based on outcomes assessed through specific quality measures.  These measures are important indicators of patient outcomes and at the core of medical management of ESRD patients.

Important Note
The QDFC—Preview for July 2013 reports are currently available.   Facilities may submit comments for CMS on their Reports from May 01, 2013 (12:01 AM, ET) through May 15, 2013 (5:00 PM ET).   General questions about DialysisReports.org and the 2012 Dialysis Facility Reports, however, may still be submitted by logging on to the Dialysis Reports secure website or using our public site web form.

What information is included in the DFRs and DFC Reports?

These reports include information about directly actionable practice patterns such as dose of dialysis, vascular access, and anemia management, as well as patient outcomes (such as mortality, hospitalization, and transplantation) that can be used to inform and motivate reviews of practices.   The information in the report facilitates comparisons of facility patient characteristics, treatment patterns, and outcomes to local and national averages.   Such comparisons help to evaluate patient outcomes and to account for important differences in the patient mix - including age, sex, race, and patients’ diabetic status - which in turn enhances each facility’s understanding of the clinical experience relative to other facilities in the state, Network, and nation.

What are the DFRs and DFC Reports used for?

The reports are intended to be used by facilities in their quality improvement efforts.  State surveyors use data reported in the DFRs to make decisions on which facilities to survey during the upcoming year.  The DFC report provides facilities with advance notice of new and updated quality measures that will be reported on the Dialysis Facility Compare website, allowing dialysis patients to review and compare characteristics and quality information on dialysis facilities in the United States.  Please note the DFC report includes the DFC preview previously reported on Page 2 of the DFR.

Who has access to the DFRs and DFC Reports?

The DFRs and DFC reports are provided to facilities, ESRD Networks, State Survey Agencies, and Regional Offices annually.  Authorized users can access the facility reports by logging in to the secure site.   Dialysis facilities are encouraged to submit comments during the comment period on the secure site if they have questions or concerns regarding their reports.   A sample of each report may be downloaded from the Methodology section of this web site.

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State and Region Profiles

State and Region Profiles are provided to the state survey agencies and CMS regional offices annually. They include maps and tables comparing state or region information as well as the Dialysis Facility Reports for every facility in the state or region.  The State and Region Dialysis Profiles are available only to the corresponding State Survey Agency or CMS Regional Office.   Authorized users can access the Profiles by logging into the secure site.

What is the Quality Incentive Program (QIP)?

The ESRD QIP is the first Medicare program that links any provider or facility payments to performance based on outcomes as assessed through specific quality measures.   The two measures adopted for this year of the ESRD QIP include the percentage of Medicare patients with an average Hemoglobin >12.0 g/dL, and the percentage of Medicare patients with an average Urea Reduction Ratio (URR) >= 65%.   These measures are important indicators of patient outcomes because poor management of anemia and inadequate dialysis can lead to avoidable hospitalizations, decreased quality of life, and death.   These measures are at the core of medical management of ESRD patients.

FOR DIALYSIS FACILITIES AND STATE SURVEYORS

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Important Dates
5/01/2013 - 5/15/2013
QDFC-Preview for 07/13 Comment period

7/15/2013
PY2014 Preview PSR, 2013 DFR, & QDFC-Preview for 10/13 posted

7/15/2013 - 08/15/2013
PY2014 Preview PSR, 2013 DFR, & QDFC-Preview for 10/13 comment period

7/18/2013
DFC website refresh

For a detailed list of dates, click here.
New for the Quarterly Dialysis Facility Compare (QDFC)
Measures that were reported in the QDFC-Preview for April 2013 report are currently displayed on the newly designed DFC website.  Facilities may currently preview reports and submit comments about their QDFC-Preview for July 2013 reports through May 15, 2013 (5:00 PM ET).  These measures will be reported on DFC on July 18, 2013.
New for the Dialysis Facility Report (DFR)
The 2012 DFRs are currently available.   The 2013 DFRs will be available to facilities on July 15, 2013.  Facilities will be able to preview their reports and submit comments for their State Surveyors from July 15, 2013 (12:01 AM, ET) through August 15, 2013 (5:00 PM ET).
New for the Quality Incentive Program
New Performance Score Certificates (PSCs) were posted on December 13, 2012.  Facilities will be required to print and post their PSC in an area visible to patients within 5 business days of when CMS makes them available through the web site.  The PSCs are available in English and Spanish.  In 2013, facilities are encouraged to post both, but need only post one.
New - 2012 Technical Expert Panel (TEP) Summary Report
This document summarizes the proceedings and recommendations of the CMS End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Clinical Technical Expert Panels (TEPs) on Anemia Management and Hospitalization held May 1-2, 2012 in Baltimore, MD. To view the report, click here.

DialysisReports.org is administered by:
Arbor Research Collaborative for Health and the University of Michigan Kidney Epidemiology and Cost Center (KECC).

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